The festival's first-ever staging of this funny operetta is made magical by John Wilson's conducting and Danielle de Niese as the title diva
The festival's first-ever staging of this funny operetta is made magical by John Wilson's conducting and Danielle de Niese as the title divaThe Merry Widow, and utterly glorious designs by Gary McCann, who must have seen the date 1905 and decided to have the most fun one can have with silk and scissors.
Inside this very good show, an excellent one is desperately trying to get out. The new English-language version by Stephen Plaice and Marcia Bellamy is occasionally wordy, but great fun. Some gags are a tad overstated; Act I could use tightening up.But the magic comes from Wilson’s conducting. He really does “get it”: Lehár’s score, played by the London Philharmonic, floats up silky, seductive and sophisticated, the textures transparent and the tempi spot-on, crowned by the ear-worm waltz.
De Niese brings Hanna irresistible charisma and a bright-glinting voice – and it’s not every diva who could or would do that dancing . As her dissolute Danilo, Germán Olvera sings and dances remarkably well, especially after his first entry has him tumbling down a very long staircase. There are fine supporting performances from Soraya Mafi and Michael McDermott as the illicit lovers Valencienne and Camille, comedy actor Tom Edden as Njegus and Glyndebourne’s super chorus. But it’s the veteran baritone Thomas Allen as Zeta, the ambassador, who seems to be having the time of his life. You could almost wish Hanna would go off with him instead.
It’s not perfect – and there are a few tweaks to be made. But Glyndebourne has here the making of a classic.
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